Princess Beatrice of York Biography

Princess Beatrice of York is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew and granddaughter of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom. Read this biography to know her birthday, childhood, achievements, family life and other fun facts about her.

Princess Beatrice of York, born Beatrice Elizabeth Mary, belongs to the British royal family and is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Margaret Ferguson. As granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, she currently is eighth in line to the throne. She had an upbringing similar to other royal children, with access to the best of schools and colleges. However, she was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child and faced academic challenges. She overcame these difficulties and graduated from Goldsmiths College in History. While fame was part and parcel of being born into the Royal family, Beatrice decided to venture into her own business. She worked for Sony Television to gain exposure in the entertainment industry. She decided to move to New York to work with the venture capital firm, Sandbridge, before branching out to form her own business consultancy. She currently holds a full-time job as a business matchmaker and also follows the duties of a Royal family member. Apart from her business, she is an active philanthropist who participates in several charities, fundraising events in addition to running her own nonprofit organization. Presently, she lives in London.

Princess Beatrice of York was born on 8 August 1988 to Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and Sarah Margaret Ferguson, the Duchess of York in London, England. She is the fifth grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Her baptism took place on 20 December 1988 at the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace.

Viscount Linley, the Earl of Snowden, Lady Jane Dawnay, Carolyn Cotterell, Peter Palumbo and Gabrielle Greenall were declared as her godparents. Her name ‘Beatrice’, which was announced two weeks after her birth, was considered an unusual choice for the royal family. .

She studied at Upton House School and later moved to Coworth Park School. She pursued her education at St. George’s School from 2000 to 2007 in Ascot. She was diagnosed with dyslexia at an early age, but it was publicly announced only in 2005.

She was held back by a year in her GCSE exams due to her dyslexia. However, she took her A-Levels later. At school, she was an active member of the choir. In 2008, she enrolled in a three-year BA course, which focused on History, at Goldsmiths College, London, from where she graduated in 2011.

Princess Beatrice was born into a royal family. After dabbling in several career options, she decided to tread the unconventional path for a royal by diving deep into the business and investment profession. She is also an active philanthropist.

Before entering the world of business, Beatrice was actively involved in several charities. She worked with ‘Springboard for Children’, a project aimed at students with learning difficulties. She also supported ‘Teenage Cancer Trust.’

In 2008, she volunteered as a sales assistant at Selfridges and later took an unpaid position at the Foreign Office’s Press. She mentioned that her interests inclined towards business and finance. She wanted to work for the Financial Times.

In 2009, she appeared in the film, ‘The Young Victoria’ as an extra, becoming the first member of the royal family to have appeared in a dramatized film. The movie was based on the accession of Queen Victoria.

In 2010, she participated in the London Marathon in order to raise money for ‘Children in Crisis.’ She became the first member of her family to participate in this marathon. She also stood as the patron of ‘Forget Me Not’, a children’s hospice.

In 2014, Beatrice decided to opt for a work-experience internship at Sony Pictures Television in London. She wanted to explore the nitty gritty of the entertainment industry, but eventually left the company after Sony was hacked.

In the Sony hack, it was revealed that she worked as an intermediate coordinating producer, earning about £30,000 per year. The disclosure of crucial information by the hacking group, ‘Guardians of Peace’, was the reason behind Beatrice’s exit.

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While she holds a full-time job, she also carries on the duties of a royal member. In the 2012 Olympics, she welcomed the Olympic flame near Leeds; and in 2013, she and her sister Eugene promoted their country in Germany.

She later joined the Manhattan investment firm, Sandbridge Capital, which boasted of clients like Topshop and Karl Lagerfield. The venture capital firm later helped her set up her own business consultancy firm.

Beatrice decided to move to New York City in 2015. She cited that her move was to boost her career and concentrate on her full-time job. She decided to shuttle between London and New York City. After her stint at Sandbridge ended, Beatrice opened her own firm.

In 2018, she was seen accompanying Zia Chisti, the co-founder of the billion-dollar company Afiniti, to meetings and several gatherings at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

It was announced that her consultancy had landed a deal with Afiniti, an artificial intelligence company whose clients included Vofadone and Virgin. However, neither her father nor Afiniti confirmed the details of this partnership.

On her 18th birthday, Princess Beatrice exclaimed that she wanted to assist others through charity. She had previously worked with her mother and assisted her in running several non-profit organizations.

In 2011, her headpiece that she wore at the wedding of Prince William was offered for sale on eBay, and it was publicly announced that the proceeds would go to charity. It was finally sold for £81,000, and the money was divided between UNICEF and Children in Crisis.

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In 2012, she became a patron of the York Musical Society, and the following year, she became the royal patron of Helen Arkell Dsylexia Centre. She credits her academic success to the efforts of this charity.

Beatrice also climbed Mont Blanc along with Richard Branson to assist a charity. Later, she climbed Mount Etna as part of a fundraising initiative called, the Virgin Strive Challenge.

She is an active supporter of the ‘[email protected]’ initiative, a charity that was started by her father. The aim of this charity is to support budding entrepreneurs expand their businesses.

In 2016, Beatrice, her sister, and her mother, joined hands with the artist, Teddy M, to inaugurate the first royal graffiti. Titled ‘Royal Love’, the painting was exhibited in London before being sold. The proceeds were donated by Beatrice to ‘Children in Crisis’.

She founded her own charity, ‘Big Change’, along with her friends. The focus of this organization was to encourage the youth to develop and hone skills outside traditional expectations and academia.

In 2017, she actively promoted the book, ‘Be Cool Be Nice’, which spoke against bullying. In an interview with Vogue, she spoke about how she was bullied in the past by her peers who mocked her fashion sense.

Princess Beatrice was in a relationship with Paolo Liuzzo. Paolo is an American citizen who was charged with assault and battery in 2006. This relationship sparked off controversy due to Liuzzo’s contentious past.

She was in a relationship with Dave Clark, a business executive from the United States, from 2006 until Jul 2016. The couple broke up when Beatrice expressed her eagerness to get married, but Dave constantly refused.